The new government will probably be formed in the next week, while the search for suitable candidates is not over yet. Cerar has already presented the candidates from SMC Party to the coalition partners, while DeSUS discussed its candidates once again during the day.

The most questionable has been the candidature of the DeSUS representative Julijana Bizjak Mlakar for the Minister of Culture, but as Cerar explained on Sunday, Bizjak Mlakar is at the moment the planned candidate for this department.
Cerar plans to file the list of candidates for Ministers to the National Assembly on Tuesday morning, which will allow the hearings at the relevant parliamentary committee to begin. If the candidates pass the hearings, the members of parliament will vote on the list at an extraordinary session. With the confirmation of the ministers the 12th Slovenian government would be appointed.

Loose coalition agreement
As reported for Radio Slovenija by Urška Jereb Brankovič, the coalition agreement does not include any firm decisions on the terms and the manner in which the state would fulfil the obligations given to the European Commission.
Economist Mojmir Mrak warns of the lack of clarity: "We have never heard any serious declaration by the new government about their intentions towards the European Commission, and consequently towards the European Union. Some deadlines are approaching, and some have already been missed," Mrak said for Radio Slovenija.
The ideas of extending the deadline for reducing the deficit below three percent, which expires next year, are according to Mrak unrealistic, counterproductive, and unjustifiable: "Presently the economic growth in Slovenia is higher than planned last year. It means it would be very difficult to find arguments in favour of that decision".

Mrak: We should not take a step back where privatisation is concerned
Mrak's position regarding the announced privatisation is firm. The list of companies the sale of which was confirmed by the National Assembly should not be modified or ignored. "In my opinion a step back in this case is not an option, and it would be extremely counterproductive if the government wished to change such things."

In reference to the public finance, the new government should at first solve the difficult problem of this year's amendment of the budget, and the proposal for the next year's budget. Mrak has his regrets: "It is a pity not even a basic agreement on the budget for 2015 was discussed during negotiations for the coalition agreement. Some quite unpleasant surprises might arise when the discussions on the budget for 2015 start."

The new government will have some more leeway in preparing the budget for 2015 due to the higher economic growth than predicted, but Mrak believes the awakened economic activity should not lead us away from carrying out structural reforms.

B. V.
Translated by G. K.